Suozzi, who has been in public life for more three decades, is careful and selective when he critiques the elected GOP leadership and says the only chance to end the current Capitol chaos would be for the Democrats to recapture the majority.

Suozzi, who co-chairs the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, says he needs Democratic, independent and Republican votes to prevail in his suburban district. He consistently shuns the left-wing agenda of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and rejects anti-police and anti-Israel rhetoric.

Local issues are key. Both candidates say they support a restoration of unlimited state and local tax deductions on federal income taxes — which Republicans capped at $10,000 in Trump’s first term, but then agreed to hike last year to $40,000 with an income cap. Both oppose the current plan for the proposed Propel NY Energy underground transmission lines on the North Shore. Both also support expanding childcare tax credits.

Suozzi and LiPetri tout differing affordability proposals.

One that stands out for the incumbent is the so-called WISH (Well-Being Insurance for Seniors to be at Home) Act to create a public-private partnership so those qualified can receive stipends for long-term care at home. The costs, standards and income requirements as presented sound flexible enough to have a chance to pass in fiscally difficult times.

For his part, LiPetri says he wants an insurance system that, while covering all catastrophic occurrences, rewards prevention and healthy habits and moves away from employer-based insurance by making it “portable.” He’s vague on how this would work without penalizing those who already have coverage.

Suozzi says the Iran war, driving debt and economic uncertainty, must end sooner rather than later. LiPetri agrees with Trump’s assertions that only he can ensure Iran never gets nuclear weapons and that higher gas prices are the necessary cost of that effort.

They differ on immigration. Last year Fernando Mejia, 41, was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as he arrived at the bagel store he managed for several years in Port Washington. Mejia, who overstayed a visa many years ago, ultimately was deported, leaving a 15-year-old daughter behind. It’s to deal with such difficult immigration cases that Suozzi has been working on a comprehensive reform plan that would allow those who have established a life here and have no criminal background to have a path to legal status.

But LiPetri, when asked if Mejia is the kind of undocumented immigrant who should be deported, stuck to the line that the mass roundups are “about upholding law and order.”

Suozzi shows sensitivity to the public mood. Back in January, he crossed party lines to vote for a $64 billion Department of Homeland Security funding bill including $10 billion for ICE. Suozzi soon expressed regret — and admitted his vote was a mistake in light of the agency’s operations in Minnesota which included the fatal shooting of civilian Renee Good.